Team Italy U12 manager Stefano Burato made U12 Baseball World Cup history again when he featured two girls, second baseman Anita Bissa and right fielder Sabrina Bottazzi, in his lineup against Mexico in Tainan, Taiwan on August 1, 2022. The Italian skipper made history the first time when Sabrina Bottazzi became the first female starter in the international competition two days prior when she held Panama scoreless for the first two innings of the game.
Team Italy was less fortunate against Mexico as the Mexicans chased starting pitcher Tommaso Destro out of the contest early in the bottom of the first inning when they scored six runs. Reliever Riccardo Orsenigo served up six runs in the bottom of the second inning before being replaced by Gabriele Pucci, who limited Mexico to just one run on two hits with two strikeouts and one walk in the last three innings of the game. Ā
Mexico pitchers Edgar Melgar and Bryan Espinoza threw a combined perfect game with four strikeouts against Team Italy. As a result, the Mexicans clinched a berth to the Super Round. Mexico (3-1) now faces undefeated Venezuela (4-0), while Team Italy (1-3) battles Chinese Taipei (3-1) on Tuesday, August 2, 2022 at 6:30 pm (local time) or 6:30 am (ET) to determine the final Group A standings. Forza #Italia!
by Roberto Angotti
ITALY-MEXICO BOX SCORE
U12 BASEBALL WORLD CUP SCHEDULE AND RESULTS
TEAM iTALY U12 NEWS
(Photo of Team Italy pitching coach Alessandro Rosa Colombo visiting the mound in the first inning against Mexico in the U12 Baseball World Cup courtesy of WBSC)
